In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 160: The Ruthless Marshal Father (3)

A battle had finally ended. Qi Sheng was in the middle of absorbing and reflecting on the experience when he suddenly caught sight of three fluffy little bundles gathered outside the virtual room.
He exited the combat interface of the virtual room and looked at the two little ones who were staring at him with immense admiration. “Go finish your training first. I’ll be checking at six o’clock.”
The two little furballs straightened up and responded with their soft, childish voices, “Yes!” As they left, the little white fox turned back to glance at her older brother, who stood quietly with his head lowered.
At that moment, the little white tiger seemed to understand her brother’s sadness. She, too, turned her head to glance back at him. Carrying their own thoughts, the two little ones walked toward the cub training room.
Qi Sheng crouched down and patted the little tiger’s head. As the little one began slipping back into his withdrawn state, he said, “Come on, Daddy will take you to see my mech.”
The inability to undergo transformation was the little one’s biggest hurdle at the moment. Qi Sheng didn’t want to pressure him, but neither did he want the cub to remain fixated on whether or not he could transform.
He led the little tiger inside the mech. As the familiar mechanical voice of the mech’s AI sounded to indicate activation, Qi Sheng looked at the slightly curious little tiger and said, “When you were six, I kept hoping you could, like me, pilot a mech as early as possible—learn to master it, use it. Even when you turned eight, I still thought that way. I was even as anxious as you.”
Hearing this, the little tiger drooped his head even lower. He thought his father had now given up on him. Just as anxiety and helplessness welled up in his heart, his father’s voice came again, echoing in his ears.
“People in the Federation have become more and more accustomed to life and training in human form. They’ve gradually neglected the innate advantages of their beast forms. I used to be the same—fighting using everything in human form—until this time, when a mutant beast attack nearly broke through the front lines. Only then did I realize that once a Federal beastman loses his mech and weapons, his combat power is barely better than that of a lamb awaiting slaughter.”
The little tiger listened quietly, still unsure why his father was telling him all this.
“When the ancient Blue Star beastmen first entered the interstellar era, fighting in beast form was our most familiar way of battle. Back then, our ancestors had no mechs, yet they could still go head-to-head with mutant beasts. If not for the overwhelming numbers of the beasts and the uneven strength among the Blue Star beastmen, we wouldn’t have been forced to rely on weapons.”
At this point, the little tiger finally began to understand. He had been studying Federation history since he was six, and among the topics was the early history of Blue Star beastmen entering the interstellar age.
Back then, their ancestors had resisted external enemies in their beast forms. Without their great strength, in the centuries before mechs were even invented, intelligent life on Blue Star might have already been wiped out.
Thinking of this, the little tiger—who had just been deeply worried about being unable to transform—began to see hope again. He looked at his father, who had been silently watching him, and thought to himself: Even if Dad is just trying to comfort me with these words, even if I spend my whole life unable to transform, I must never give up on training. I must grow into someone so powerful that no one can ignore me!
Encouraged once again by his father, the shy little tiger could no longer hold back. He quietly walked forward and rubbed his fluffy head against Qi Sheng’s chest, trying to express his determination to never give up cultivation.
But at that moment, Qi Sheng didn’t sense his son’s heartfelt promise. His heart was melting from the soft fluffball rubbing against his chest. Unable to resist, he cupped the little one’s fuzzy face and planted a gentle kiss on it.
Qi Junye, who had just been quietly arranging his own training plan in his mind, was surprised to feel the warm sensation on his forehead. He looked up in confusion, his pure blue eyes staring curiously at Qi Sheng. Seeing the tenderness in his father’s eyes, a sense of joy and contentment filled his heart.
Just now… was Dad expressing that he believed in him?
Under the gaze of those pure, untainted blue eyes, Qi Sheng gave a small cough to cover his loss of control and the irresistible urge to cuddle the furball. He encouraged him, “From now on, Daddy and your little brother and sister will train with you in beast form to strengthen our bodies.”
Qi Sheng planned to use this military leave to study the mysteries of this beastman world. He had a nagging feeling that modern beastmen were like monsters who had forcibly converted all their energy into human form. If that were true, then perhaps some ancient cultivation methods had been lost and ignored by the Federation. If worse came to worst, he could ask the system to exchange for some suitable cultivation manuals for the little tiger.
The little tiger was just too cute—he had to find a way to make him happy!
Qi Junye didn’t know what Qi Sheng was thinking at that moment. But when he heard his father’s words, all the grievances and fears he’d bottled up for years finally surged out.
To hide his vulnerability, the little tiger silently buried his head into Qi Sheng’s chest. And so, in that moment, Qi Sheng could finally, openly and freely, cuddle and stroke the fluffy bundle from head to tail!
While quietly enjoying his father’s gentle stroking, the little tiger was so comfortable he almost purred. He tried to use his strong willpower to break free from the warm, reassuring hand, but he was also extremely reluctant to leave.
And so, the father and son silently agreed to enjoy this blissful moment together. Only after they were both fully satisfied did they turn their attention back to the mech in front of them.
This time, the little tiger no longer viewed the mech with a sense of reverence. It was just a highly intelligent weapon. Even without relying on it, he could still become strong!
Seeing that the little tiger was no longer downcast, Qi Sheng began quietly explaining the basic structure and principles of the mech.
Even if the little tiger could never pilot a mech in his life, understanding this weapon was still important. On the central star, many people were waiting to mock the Qi family. The boys who had once envied and admired Qi Junye’s strength were now taking delight in the fact that he couldn’t awaken his beast form.
These heirs of noble families were easily influenced by their elders. To prevent Qi Junye from being mocked or bullied in ways he might not notice, Qi Sheng planned to improve him in every aspect. Beast form training was a priority, but understanding the era’s most popular weapon—the mech—was equally essential. Knowing both himself and his enemy would allow Qi Junye to find ways to overcome and counter them, so even in front of those who flaunted their piloting skills, he wouldn’t fall behind.
The little tiger was very smart and quickly grasped his father’s intentions. He had even secretly looked up information on mechs before, so he absorbed his father’s teachings rapidly.
One taught with care; the other listened attentively. Two hours passed quickly. Compared to the little tiger who was still eager to learn more, Qi Sheng was inwardly thinking: this serious little furball, watching him with such pure trust and admiration—it was just too much!
Qi Sheng decided they had covered enough theory for the day. As they exited the mech, he caught the little tiger who was about to jump down and held him in his arms again. The little one didn’t resist and merely looked up at Qi Sheng, seemingly enjoying this closeness too.
At the cub training room, Qi Sheng set him down and ruffled his furry head. “Go ahead and follow your original training schedule for now. I need to prepare and revise a new training plan.”
The little tiger respectfully responded, then walked toward the familiar training area after seeing his father off.
At this moment, little white tiger, who had already been training for some time, saw her big brother enter and rushed over excitedly.
Little white fox, also concerned for his brother, quickly exited the agility training room.
“Big brother, what did Father say? Did he ask you to intensify your training?”
Little white fox immediately asked the question that had been weighing on him. With big brother currently unable to undergo beast-form transformation, he feared Father might demand an even harsher training plan.
Though he understood that hard training would benefit future growth, little white fox still feared he might one day not be able to keep up with such a high-intensity regimen. So, he was even more worried that his brother’s already heavy training might become even tougher, and that his body wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Little white tiger also stared curiously at their big brother, wondering what could’ve taken Father so long to say. Her mind was still filled with the battle scene she had just witnessed, especially the awe-inspiring sight of Father piloting the mech.
Qi Junye looked at his younger siblings and raised a forepaw to gently pat their heads. “It’s nothing. Father just encouraged me not to give up and taught me some mech knowledge.”
He didn’t mention the possibility of becoming strong through beast form alone. It was still uncertain whether that idea would succeed. For his younger siblings, the best path was still the same as most in the Federation: to transform and learn to pilot mechs.
Seeing that their father hadn’t given their brother any difficult tasks, the two younger cubs relaxed. Little white tiger’s eyes lit up at the mention of “mechs,” but worried her brother might feel bad, so she didn’t dare ask.
Noticing what she was thinking, Qi Junye patted her furry head. “Train well now. In a few years, after you awaken your beast form, you’ll be able to start learning about mechs.”
Little white tiger beamed with joy and nodded vigorously. Meanwhile, little white fox, who had been quiet after asking his question, now stared at his calm big brother in surprise.
What exactly did Father say? How could he make big brother—who had been so hung up on beast transformation—now appear so composed?
Although he was quite curious about the conversation between Father and Big Brother, Little White Fox didn’t ask much. Seeing that his brother had already walked into the physical training room, he quietly returned to the agility training room to finish what he hadn’t completed earlier.
After leaving the training room, Qi Sheng returned to his study and began searching online for secrets related to beast-form training. As one of the eight Marshals of the Federation, he had the highest level of access on the interstellar network. He could view many documents that were restricted to the general public, which greatly aided him in finding potential solutions.
After informing her elder brother at her maiden home to restart the research and development of beast-form mechs, Bu Qiongyu had originally planned to return to the Bu family to further discuss the details of the project. However, she remained uneasy about Qi Sheng’s attitude, so in the end, she decided to stay at home instead.
When she saw Qi Sheng come out of the training room and head straight into the study, and observed that the children’s training schedules remained unchanged, Bu Qiongyu returned to the living room to instruct the servants to prepare afternoon tea for the three children and Qi Sheng.
Soon, the servants had prepared beautifully crafted pastries, tea, and fresh fruit. Bu Qiongyu picked up the portion meant for Qi Sheng and headed alone to the study.
Inside the study, Qi Sheng was swiftly searching through relevant materials. He wasn’t surprised when his wife suddenly entered. Although their relationship was fairly close, due to his originally cold and stern personality, the two didn’t usually talk very much.
But this time, Bu Qiongyu didn’t leave immediately after delivering the tea.
She sat down on the sofa in the study, glanced at her somewhat busy husband, and said, “I’ve already spoken to my elder brother and asked him to help restart the development of beast-form mechs. It’s for Xiao Ye’s sake. Even if he never completes his transformation, at least he won’t become someone others can bully.”
“Actually, research on beast-form mechs had already made significant progress thirty years ago. But the Bu family didn’t prioritize it at the time, which led to Xiao Ye’s current awkward situation.”
Qi Sheng listened silently and didn’t interrupt. As parents, most instinctively wanted to help their children overcome difficulties. Besides, this indeed offered Qi Junye a potential alternative path. So after listening, he nodded and said, “Thank you for your effort.”
Qi Sheng knew Bu Qiongyu was worried about his attitude. To reassure her, he repeated what he had told Qi Junye earlier.
Under Bu Qiongyu’s slightly surprised gaze, Qi Sheng said, “Right now I’m searching for related information. According to what I’ve found on the interstellar network, there are records of situations where beastmen fought interstellar beasts without piloting mechs.”
Though most of these records documented heavy casualties, Qi Sheng noticed a strange anomaly that the general public had overlooked—no matter how brutal the battle, there were always a few beastmen who managed to survive.
These survivors were later labeled as simply “lucky,” and most didn’t exhibit especially outstanding abilities, but there were still rare exceptions among them.
For example, the first patriarch of the Han family—a family that has long held a mid-tier position among the second-rate noble houses—was originally a commoner. He managed to survive a devastating battle in which the Federation suffered huge losses. Afterward, during continued service in the military, his combat strength and growth rate skyrocketed.
Though it could just be natural talent, Qi Sheng wasn’t willing to overlook such an unusual case.
He continued poring through historical records and clues until 6:00 p.m. When he remembered he needed to check on the children’s progress, he finally pulled himself away from the sea of data.
At that moment, in the cub training room, Little White Tiger was visibly excited at the thought of their father coming to inspect their work. She shook her chubby tail, raised her adorable paw pads, and declared with great “fierceness,” “I’m going to show Father just how strong Qi Junhe is!”
Little White Fox was also eager to perform. Though he was usually calm and clever, he too wanted to impress their father.
Meanwhile, the little tiger—still diligently training—glanced at his excited younger siblings, then silently averted his gaze. His movements remained flawless as he executed his training routine, but deep within his dark-blue eyes, a rare seriousness could be seen.